


open mic

by b_minor



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But very slight - Freeform, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 12:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20907953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b_minor/pseuds/b_minor
Summary: Two years before the formation of Idolish7, an upcoming idol and a uni student walk into a bar.





	open mic

The ice in his whiskey tumbles with a clink as Ryuu rotates his wrist around several times, swirling the glass and watching as the dim lights of the bar catch on its facets when he turns it at just the right angle. He feels the bartender glance his way ever so often, but for the most part he seems content to leave him to his own devices; he’s grateful for that. As much as he enjoyed chatting with him most nights that he came, he was feeling particularly exhausted and wasn’t sure if he had the energy to sustain a conversation for very long.

It’s been months since the first night he and Gaku had met Tenn, and Ryuu’d found himself piled on with grueling days of back-to-back practices: not just dance and vocals, but interview prep and a whole host of other aspects of being an idol that he hadn’t really considered until then. The requirements of being an idol were tough; he just hoped that he’d be able to meet the expectations of the president and his bandmates. 

On one particular night Ryuu had found himself wandering back to this bar, maybe out of a subconscious desire to remind himself of the purpose for everything he’d been struggling through. The vibe of the bar when it wasn’t being rented out by a precocious 16-year-old was actually to his taste, and since then he had come back several times to unwind. The nightly performances by local artists was a bit hit or miss, but he always made the effort to applaud their efforts. It took courage to stand in front of an audience, after all. 

The bar is moderately more crowded than usual considering it’s a weeknight, and it’s then that Ryuu remembers the sign outside advertising evening as an open mic, where performers could simply walk in and jot their name on the list for a ten minute block of time on the stage. At the moment, a couple of girls were seated beside each other, one playing piano accompaniment and harmonizing with her partner. The song is vaguely familiar, and they’re doing a pretty good job. He claps with the rest of the audience when they finish, chuckling when a few girls seated nearer to the stage--most likely their friends--grow particularly enthusiastic in their applause. It was heartwarming to see. 

“Is this seat taken?”

Ryuu turns to the voice and finds a man, probably around his age, gesturing to the stool beside him.

“Nope. It’s all yours.”

He gets a grateful smile in return.

‘He’s cute,’ Ryuu muses vaguely to himself. He watches as the man slides a hefty looking guitar case off his shoulder before settling in. Every movement is graceful, almost musical in nature. Ryuu wonders if he has any dancing experience.

As soon as the bartender spots him, he shuffles over. “I was wondering when you’d show up, Sougo-kun. You want the usual?”

A nervous laugh. “You always make it sound like I'm ordering alcohol, Ooishi-san.”

"I know, I know, maybe in another couple of years, eh?" 

The bartender chuckles, and glass of what looks to be tea is slid over to him. His hands are a little unsteady as he grasps it and takes a small sip. Ryuu leans his head against his hand, contemplating. 

“Is this your first time performing?” he asks.

The other man jolts a bit; he probably wasn’t expecting that Ryuu’d try to strike up a conversation. He recovers quickly though, and nods. “I’ve played in sessions with friends before, but never on my own like this.”

“It’s okay to be a little nervous! But don’t worry too much, the crowd here’s pretty welcoming. They’re always very supportive.”

Sougo traces the rim of his glass with his index finger, ducking his head slightly. “That’s what Gou-kun--sorry, my friend--said, too. He insisted that I give it a try. He couldn’t make it tonight because of a group project, though.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” he replies, encouraging. “What kind of music do you like to play?”

He pats the guitar case beside him. “A little bit of everything, to be honest. I like listening to artists from overseas in particular, however.”

“Ah, like Douglas Rootbank?”

Sougo’s expression brightens. “You’ve heard of him?”

Ryuu nods. “He has a very unique sound, but it’s one that’s easy to listen to. Even without understanding all of the lyrics you can really get a sense of what emotions he wants to convey! My favorite is, um...what was it called again…It goes something like--” 

He starts to hum the chorus as best he can. To his delight, after some visible hesitation Sougo’s voice gradually weaves in as well. It’s soft but strong, and the way his mouth expertly wraps around the difficult English consonants is very impressive. He’s clearly very familiar with the song. 

There’s a beat after they finish. Then, they startle in unison at the sound of clapping from over the bar counter. The bartender is grinning at them. 

“Nicely done, you two,” he says. “Well, now that you’re all warmed up, you ready for the real thing? While you guys were having your little duet the performer before you just finished, so you can start setting up.”

“Well, it’s not like I have much.” Sougo laughs, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. He slowly stands up from his seat, hefting his guitar case. Turning back to Ryuu, he asks, “Wish me luck?”

Ryuu picks up his glass, inclining his head towards the other man with a smile that he hopes is reassuring. “I know you’ll do great.” 

Sougo doesn’t reply, but by the light flush of his cheeks he seems pleased. He makes his way to the stage in short order. The guitar he pulls out is a beautifully lacquered acoustic. Ryuu finds himself turning bodily towards the stage, leaning his head on his hand and watching with rapt attention as Sougo begins carefully tuning it, all hesitation gone as he focuses on the task. Once he’s done and the guitar mic’s in place, he steps closer to the front, the movement haloing him in spotlights. He clears his throat once and, to Ryuu’s surprise, glances towards the bar. Towards him? 

Ryuu gives him a thumbs up, though he’s not sure if Sougo can see it since the lighting in the rest of the bar is much dimmer. It seems that he notices though, as he nods back before his gaze shifts away.

“My name is Sougo Osaka. I’ll be playing a few songs for you tonight. I hope you enjoy.”

It isn’t immediately noticeable, at first. But as Sougo continues to sing, the white noise in the crowd--the conversations both hushed and raucous--gradually quiets. Everyone is listening. 

As he had noticed during their impromptu duet earlier, Sougo’s voice is not unique. But it’s smooth. Resonant. Though both his vocals and guitar playing are shaky at first from residual nerves, it steadies as he gets his bearings and continues to stay that way as he effortlessly segues into the second song in his set list, then the third and final one. By the time the last chord rings out, the crowd is silent. 

The ensuing applause is as explosive as a sudden downpour of rain. Sougo smiles, bowing politely. Once the audience is quieter, he slips off the stage, taking off the guitar strap and carefully placing the instrument back in its case. From his perch, Ryuu watches as he’s almost immediately surrounded. Other musicians and patrons excited to congratulate Sougo for his performance, he was sure.

Ryuu brings his glass to his lips, but to his dismay he’s out of whiskey. He contemplates ordering another glass, before remembering that he had dance practice tomorrow. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if Tenn had texted them with a reminder to go to bed early. He may been a teen, but he was also extremely, intimidatingly professional about practically everything. Gaku would probably reply with a grudging affirmative and a huffy sticker. It would be nice if they could all get along one day.

He checks his phone out of curiosity, and to his amusement there are indeed notifications in the group chat they’ve set up. What is more pressing, unfortunately, is the time. He sighs, pocketing the phone while pulling out his wallet. The bartender, attentive as always, is already prepared with his total. While waiting for him to finish ringing up the transaction, Ryuu glances over again at Sougo. The crowd hasn’t thinned much, but Sougo is still politely acknowledging each and every individual who comes up to speak with him. Sougo would make a great idol; he’d do so well at meet and greet events with fans. 

But that was neither here nor there. He’d been hoping to catch the other man before he had to leave, but unfortunately time waits for no one. In a stroke of inspiration and slightly tipsy confidence, he scribbles his phone number and a quick “Call me sometime! - Ryuu” on a cocktail napkin. The bartender sends him a sly grin when he takes the napkin in exchange for Ryuu’s receipt.

“I-it’s not like that! I just want to talk to him more…” The fact that Ryuu sounds defensive about it probably isn’t helping his case at all.

The bartender nods knowingly, pocketing the napkin. “I’ll be sure he gets it. Have a good night, sir.”

He looks to Sougo one last time, hoping to catch his eye. Almost as if sensing his gaze, Sougo looks up. He smiles shyly, and gives him a thumbs up while mouthing a “thank you” at him before he’s pulled back into a conversation with one of the other performers from that night.

When Ryuu steps outside, the cold air rushing past him is briefly sobering. He strides forward to the the train station.

Meeting with Sougo tonight had been good. The way he’d captivated the entire bar had reminded Ryuu of why he was enduring the grueling hours and intense practices. He loved music. He loved expressing himself, whether through singing or dancing. It would be nice if he could talk to Sougo again, and perhaps when the time was right, he could even tell him about Trigger. Sougo might appreciate their music. He did say he had interest in a wide variety of genres, after all. 

Tomorrow is another rehearsal. The actual filming for their first MV would start in a week. Then, it’d be released not long after that to accompany the single. Things were starting to move faster. It was almost surreal. Feeling a sudden rush of energy, Ryuu starts running down the sidewalk, beaming.

He couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Afterwards, Sougo does indeed get that napkin and nearly texts Ryuu several times but always self-sabotages himself before he can ever send something. And then Diamond Fusion’s drops and so do any last inhibitions he had about dropping out of school to pursue music. They don't meet again until Idolish7's debut because being out in public gets much more difficult for Ryuu once Trigger gets extremely popular but once they see each other again I'm sure it's very tender and emotional, haha.
> 
> I might not RyuuSou on main as often anymore but it's 10/5 and I still have a soft spot for these two and am always open to chat about them on [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/bflat_minor)!


End file.
